The present invention is directed to a satchel for storing compressible articles. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a satchel equipped with a one-way valve that permits air to be forced out of the compressible article to minimize its stored size.
Certain applications put space at a premium. One such application is back packing. When heading into the wilderness with everything necessary for survival compacted into an area sufficiently small to place upon your back, a person does not have the luxury of allowing her/his sleeping bag, for example, to take up its normal volume. Several patents teach the means of reducing the volume of stored items using a vacuum to pull suction on a storage bag. While this may be an acceptable solution for household applications, when back packing in the wilderness, this solution is not of any particular benefit since a source of vacuum is not readily available.
The present invention provides a storage satchel for compressible articles including a generally tubular first member with a first closed end and a second open end, the first member being constructed of waterproof, gas-impermeable material, the second open end having a first peripheral portion equipped with a first one of a dovetail protrusion element and a complementarily shaped recess element. A second member is constructed of a waterproof, gas-impermeable material and has a second peripheral portion equipped with a second one of the dovetail protrusion element and the complementarily shaped recess element. A one-way valve is attached to one of said first and second members, the valve only permitting trapped air to flow out of said satchel. A compressible article may be inserted into the first member, the first and second elements zip-locked together to form a gas-impermeable satchel and, the satchel with the compressible article compressed to drive out trapped air and, thereby, store the compressible article in a significantly compressed condition. The waterproof gas-impermeable materials of the first and second members can be the same material or may be different materials. Preferably, the two members are made of the same material which is a nylon oxford. If a second material is used, a nylon coated with an elastomer may be used for the second member. The second member is preferably of a greater thickness than the first member and will function as a bottom for the satchel. The thicker material for the ground-engaging portion of the satchel will provide greater durability. Preferably, the peripheral portion of the first member receiving the first fastener member is an interior portion and the peripheral portion of the second member receiving the second fastener member is an outer edge portion of a generally flat, circular member.
Various other features, advantages and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after a reading of the following specification.